1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in an insert cover portion of an endoscope cover, an insert cover portion having channels of an endoscope cover, an endoscope-cover-type endoscope, an endoscope-cover-system endoscope and an endoscope apparatus capable of facilitating the preparation for an inspection to be performed prior to the next inspection of a medical case.
2. Description of the Related Art
The inspection using an endoscope must use a clean endoscope that has been sufficiently cleaned and disinfected prior to performing the inspection.
The endoscope is cleaned and disinfected after it has been used in the body cavity of a patient, resulting in taking an excessively long time. Accordingly, a disposable-type endoscope-cover-system endoscope for performing the inspection has been suggested in place of the conventional repeated-use-type endoscope.
The endoscope-cover-system endoscope is composed of an endoscope cover for covering an insertion portion of the endoscope and a cover-type endoscope to be inserted into the endoscope cover. Examples of the endoscope-cover-system endoscope have been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-54734 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,190.
As a general rule, the cover-type endoscope having the endoscope cover fastened thereto comprises an insertion portion that includes an imaging system or an observation optical system and a light guide fiber.
Although channels for a curing tool and an air-supply/water-supply tube can be contaminated with body fluid, they cannot easily be cleaned and disinfected because of their thin and elongated shapes. Accordingly, some endoscope covers have a tube including a channel for a curing tool and an air-supply/water-supply tube, the two end portions of which are opened.
The insert of the endoscope-cover-type endoscope must be cleaned and disinfected prior to performing an operation. The endoscope is inserted into the body cavity of a patient in a manner that the insert of the endoscope is covered with the endoscope cover. After the endoscope has been used, the endoscope cover is removed and disposed of. By disposing of the endoscope for each patient as described above, the necessity of cleaning and disinfecting the endoscope can be eliminated. The endoscope can therefore be successively used while eliminating the necessity of repeatedly cleaning and disinfecting the endoscope.
The endoscope cover is generally composed of a plurality of cover members. The endoscope cover is, for example, composed of an insert cover portion for covering the insert of the endoscope, a control-unit cover for covering a control unit, and a cord-cover for covering a universal cord.
The insert cover portion of the endoscope cover has a portion for covering a leading unit and a portion for covering a unit adjacent to an operator, the two portions of the insert cover portion being hermetically connected to each other by a soft cover outer coat. Furthermore, the insert cover portion includes a lumen into which the endoscope-cover-type endoscope (hereinafter called a cover-type endoscope) is inserted. Furthermore, the insert cover portion has channels connected to an opening portion of the leading unit, the channels acting to supply air and water and to insert the forceps or the like.
The trailing portions of the channels are connected to an external fluid control apparatus so that operations required to perform the operations with the endoscope, such as the air supply, the water supply and suction operations, are performed through each of the foregoing channels.
Each of the channels is connected to the portion of the insert cover portion for covering the unit adjacent to the operator, followed by again extending substantially in parallel to a direction of the longitudinal axis of the insert cover portion. Then, each of the channels is arranged along the universal cord, followed by connecting it to the external fluid control apparatus.
However, the portion for covering the unit adjacent to the operator, from which each of the foregoing channels extends as described above, has a forceps insertion port of the forceps channel. The foregoing channels extending toward the control unit excessively hinder the operation by using the forceps at the time of inserting/drawing the forceps.
What is worse in addition to the operation by using the forceps, the presence of a plurality of the channels adjacent to the hand of the operator holding the control unit deteriorates the handling facility at the time of rotating and twisting the control unit.
Although it is ideal to insert the forceps while minimizing bends of the passage, through which the forceps is inserted, for the purpose of making the forceps to straightly approach the insertion portion, the foregoing structure cannot allow the foregoing object to be realized in terms of the impossibility present in the layout.
The insert cover portion has a length, that is substantially the same as the length of the insert, in order to cover the insert of the endoscope. Although the length of the insert of the endoscope varies depending upon the way of usage, a soft insert is formed into a relatively long shape. Also the outer diameter of the insert cover varies, for example, a small diameter or a large diameter to be adaptable to the outer diameter of the insert of the endoscope.
Also a cover-type endoscope fastened to the foregoing insert cover portion must exhibit excellent insertion facility in order to relieve the pain of the patient and to shorten the time required to complete the inspection. In particular, there is a tendency that the deeper the insert is inserted, the more the insertion becomes difficult.
While making a consideration about this fact occurring with the foregoing conventional insert cover, the attained insertion facility has been unsatisfactory when it is used in a tract organ having many bends because it can easily be kinked at an intermediate position.
In addition to the handling and insertion facilities to be satisfied, the cover-type endoscope must satisfy the following requirements in terms of maintaining cleanness that is the first object of fastening of the endoscope cover.
Similarly to the conventional cover-less endoscope, the cover-type endoscope has a warping mechanism for warping a warp-enabled portion provided for the insert. The warping mechanism has an arrangement that its warp-enabled portion is warped in accordance with the amount of the operation of an angle knob disposed in the control unit of the cover-type endoscope.
Hitherto, the control unit of an endoscope has been made to be a contamination area (contamination is allowed) and has been used as a recourse (repeatedly used) portion, while the insertion cover portion of the endoscope cover has been made to be a clean area (no contamination is allowed) and has been used as a disposable (disposed after the use) portion.
The angle knob provided in the control unit is always operated by the hand (usually the left hand) that holds the control unit. On the other hand, the hand (usually the right hand), that holds the insert, operates the angle knob, resulting in a necessity of performing the inspection in such a manner that the hand, that holds the insert, cannot be contaminated via the angle knob.
In order to keep clean the hand that holds the insert, the angle knob provided for the control unit of the endoscope must be operated by the hand that holds the control unit.
However, great skill is required to operate the angle knob by only the hand that holds the control unit, resulting in complications to occur.
When the inspection using the endoscope is performed, a curing tool, such as a forceps, is sometimes used in addition to the foregoing warping operation. Therefore, the operation must be performed carefully in such a manner that the hand, that holds the insert, does not touch the outer wall of the control unit, which is the contamination area.
Even if the angle knob can be operated by the hand that holds the insert, the operation must be performed carefully to prevent an undesirably touch with the outer wall of the control unit at the time of operating the angle knob.
However, it is a complicated work to pay attention not to touch the outer wall of the control unit in the vicinity of the angle knob when the angle knob is operated by the hand holding the insert cover portion, into which the insert of the endoscope has been inserted, or when the curing tool, such as a forceps, is inserted/drawn by the hand holding the insert cover portion.
When the angle knob is operated, great skill is required and it is a complicated work to operate the angle knob by only the hand that holds the control unit.
A variety of endoscope-cover-type endoscopes are available to be adaptable to the subjects of use and the purposes. Hence, many kinds of corresponding endoscope covers are available, resulting in a possibility that an insert cover portion, that is not the corresponding type, might be erroneously attached.
Some cover-type endoscopes are arranged to have an ocular portion which enables an observation with the naked eyes to be performed. However, the mechanism for adjusting the diopter is covered with the endoscope cover in a state where the cover-type endoscope is covered with the endoscope cover, resulting in a difficulty to occur when the diopter is adjusted from the outer portion of the cover. Hence, even if the difference in the diopter is present among a plurality of observers, the observation is limited by the diopters in a predetermined range.
Since the cord cover portion is scarcely contaminated, it is wasteful to exchange the used cord cover portion for a new one at each operation.